Weekly Green Tau

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About the Green Tau

The Green Tau blog comes from my love of life, of the natural world and of those human endeavours which are kind and generous. This love itself stems from my Christian faith which prioritises living life well and seeks to establish heaven on earth so all may live life to the full.

What is a green ‘tau’? Tau  τ is the Greek letter similar to the English T. Tau itself  developed from the Phoenician letter  Tāw X  (from which the  Hebrew letter  Tav ת is also derived).  In ancient times, tau was used as a symbol meaning eternal life or resurrection. In Hebrew tav means mark and this was the sign marked on the foreheads of those who lamented their sins (Ezekiel 9:4). For early Christians tau became an apt symbol of the cross on which Jesus  was crucified. 

Francis of Assisi used the tau as his mark when signing his letters and other writings. The tau cross, often made of wood, is worn by many Franciscans across the world. Francis is widely known as the saint who spoke with the birds, and to the hungry wolf in Gubio – he worked out a deal between the wolf and the people of Gubio such that they could live together in harmony. Francis was the author of the canticle ‘Brother Sun, Sister Moon’ – probably the first piece of literature written in Italian.  Francis understood that everything in creation had been made by God and was deserving of equal love and respect and should be treated as brother or sister.  In 1979 Pope John Paul II declared St Francis as the patron saint of ecologists,   reflecting not only Francis’s love for all creatures, but also his intuitive understanding of the interconnectedness of the whole of creation.  I therefore chose a green tau to represent my desire to live sustainably, protecting the earth.  

I want to use this blog to reach out to people, to inform them about the facts and the dangers of climate change, to point to changes we can make, and ways in which we can change the behaviour of businesses and governments,  to minimise the adverse affects of climate change and at the same time achieve fair and sustainable lifestyles that benefit everyone. 

τ

The Joys and Sorrows of the Tree of Knowledge

31st October 2026

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. Isaiah 11:1

You Lord, are the source of all good things:

We praise you.

You call us to tend and care for your creation:

May we strive to do your will.

You have made us as brothers and sisters with all that lives:

May we live together in peace.

A reading:  So Paul stood up and with a gesture began to speak: ‘You Israelites, and others who fear God, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors ….. he made David their king. In his testimony about him he said, “I have found David, son of Jesse, to be a man after my heart, who will carry out all my wishes.” Of this man’s posterity God has brought to Israel a Saviour, Jesus, as he promised. Acts 13: 16, 17a, 22b,23

Reflection

Roots secure us to the past, ensure that we are part of the continuity of creation; shoots  and branches  take our lives forward into the as yet unformed future. Without the next generation there will be no ongoing continuity. The gospels of Luke and Matthew both locate Jesus within a human family tree;  the prologue of John’s gospel locates him as co existent with the beginning of all creation. Later in John’s  gospel, Jesus affirms his coexistence with the Father and the ongoing coexistence, that through him, of all believers, all God’s children.

For gifts of past generations

We thank you God:

For the gift of fire for cooking and heating

For the gift of clean water and sewers

We thank you God:

For the domestication of cattle and horses,

Cats and dogs, sheep and pigs,

Hens and geese

We thank you God:

For the gift of gardening and arable cultivation,

sowing and reaping,

growing and harvesting

We thank you God:

For the gift of healing and caring,

of medicine and surgery

For the understanding of the intricacies of mind and body

We thank you God:

For the gift of story telling and drama,

of art and observation

means of sharing grief and joy.

We thank you God:

For the gift of learning and research,

of teaching and sharing

We thank you God:

For the gift of exploration and endeavour,

of travel and communication

We thank you God:

For the gift of worship,

of self realisation and of the knowledge of God.

We thank you God.

But what shall we pass on to generations to come?

Do we offer gifts or burdens?

Merciful God forgive and inspire us.

Clean air or choking smog?

Merciful God forgive and inspire us.

Living water or dying oceans?

Merciful God forgive and inspire us.

Renewables or fossil fuels?

Merciful God forgive and inspire us.

Biodiversity or widespread extinction?

Merciful God forgive and inspire us.

Fertile soils or inhospitable dust?

Merciful God forgive and inspire us.

Balmy summers or wild fires?

Merciful God forgive and inspire us.

Snow capped mountains or drowned coastlines?

Merciful God forgive and inspire us.

Homes for all  or camps for migrants?

Merciful God forgive and inspire us.

May we be wise guardians of what we have received

Skilful custodians of what we consume

Generous donors of what we hand on

That the future of creation will be bright and beautiful,

fair and just.

Amen

Green Tau: the gas mystery

29th October 2026

Today I saw a Cadent (1) van with the slogan “Keeping you warm” which I questioned.

What did it mean?

Is this the only way of keeping warm? Are other alternatives available?

No to the first and yes to the second.

Electricity is definitely an alternative and if used to power a heat pump, is far more efficient at keeping homes warm. British Gas’s own web site say that a gas boiler is up to 90% whilst a heat pump can be up to 380% efficient. (2) This means for every unit of energy that goes into a heat pump the heat output will be nearly 4 times as much. Heat pumps are super efficient. To be fair at current prices the unit cost of electricity is more that the unit cost of gas. This is due to a quirk in the way electricity prices are calculated – bizarrely it is the high price of electricity produced by gas power stations rather than from renewable sources that accounts for this.(3)  Are gas prices alway going to be less than electricity prices? Looking around the world and seeing the conflicts effecting gas, the answer surely is no.

On the other hand some electrical suppliers provide very attractive pricing packages that making running a heat pump much more affordable – eg Octopus Cosy (4)

However the cost of retrofit installing a heat pump is more than simply replacing a boiler – even with the currently available government grant (5). Keeping warm is always easier if you have enough spare income or capital. Gas may keep you warm if you can’t afford to invest in a better alternative.

Extra home insulation will certainly help keep you warm – and once paid for – at no extra cost.  MoneySupermarket suggests for example that for a typical house loft insulation can save £380 a year on heating bills. (6) However again you do need the upfront cash. Curiously the Great British Insulation grant scheme was ended by the government earlier this year! – although there are still some grants for those in particularly constrained circumstances. (7)

Back to the ‘Keeping you Warm’ slogan. Is it an acknowledgment that burning gas is warming the planet keeping us all warm, like it or not? In England mean temperatures this summer were at least 2.4°C above average. (8)

Visiting Cadent’s website, you will find the longer version of their tag line: “We are Cadent. Keeping people warm, while protecting the planet”!!! (9) Surely they cannot both praise themselves for delivering gas to customers and praise themselves for protecting the planet? The more gas they deliver (to ‘keep us warm’) the greater the amount of dangerous greenhouse gas emissions being put into the atmosphere!

We seem to be stuck in a system where in all parts of the chain from gas fields to boilers, no one is calling time on the continued use of gas. Not even the government! It is barely a week since the government approved the licensing of the Jackdaw gas field on the grounds that it would protect security of supply – plus a (small) number of jobs – for the consumer. Jackdaw will increase domestic production of gas by 6% – which is a mere 2% of all the gas we currently use. (10) For this ‘benefit’ Jackdaw’s developer, Adura (a new joint Shell and Equinor company) will receive subsidies in terms of tax relief for development cost. Then after the anticipated 11 year life of Jackdaw, a further subsidies towards the costs of decommissioning the gas field. (11)

Surely it would be better for the government to use its financial resources and legislative clout to improve the insulation of buildings, to upgrade the electricity grid, and enable the installation of more solar panels, heat pumps and batteries? Equally would such measures be a more effective way of enabling the UK’s transition away from fossil fuels to a net zero renewables economy?

(1) Cadent is the company which looks after the UK’s gas pipe network; it doesn’t itself buy or sell or produce gas

(2) https://www.britishgas.co.uk/heating/guides/air-source-heat-pumps-vs-boilers.html

(3) https://www.carbonbrief.org/qa-why-are-uk-energy-bills-so-high-and-how-could-they-be-lowered

(4) https://octopus.energy/blog/heat-pump-run-cost-savings/

(5) https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/heat-pumps-grant/

(6) https://www.moneysupermarket.com/gas-and-electricity/loft-insulation/

(7) https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/free-cavity-loft-insulation/#lowincome

(8) https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/blog/2026/summer-2026-so-far-a-look-at-the-season-at-the-halfway-point-

(9) https://cadentgas.com/getmedia/54c406e9-88fe-4d3b-aa90-049e83c21cda/Introduction.pdf

(10) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq4g13pplyzzo

(11) https://theconversation.com/jackdaw-approval-what-a-new-north-sea-gasfield-means-for-uk-energy-security-bills-and-tax-291418 and  https://www.e3g.org/news/north-sea-oil-gas-bad-deal-uk-taxpayer/

Counting on … day 114

28th  October 2026

What to do about soy and palm oil?

You well be surprised to learn that soy and palm oil are by far the biggest sources of vegetable oil in our diets: 76 million tonnes of palm oil and 59 million tonnes of soy are harvested every year. The next most co:mon vegetable oil is rape seed coming in at 25 million tonnes, whilst olive oil measures a mere 3 million tonnes. (P100 Eat the Planet Well).

Most of the soy oil is used to manufacture high protein animal feed. Soy that is used to create protein rich tofu, soya milk, soy sauce etc uses but a fraction.

Palm oil is widely used in food processing. Palm oil yields are high, making it a cheap oil. It is versatile, stable during cooking and semi solid at room temperature. It can be found in products as diverse as bread, icecream, biscuits, breakfast cereals, chocolate and even baby food. It is also widely used in products such as shampoo, toothpaste and cosmetics. A wonder ingredient! But the problem lies in where and how oil palms are grown. They grow best in hot humid conditions with plenty of rainfall such as occurs in rainforest habitats. Vast tracts of rainforest have been cleared to make way for mono crop oil palm plantations, causing ecological and climatic devastation.

Another downside of palm oil is that it is higher than other plant oils in saturated fats – 52% (NB Coconut oil is even higher at 89%).*

“So” asks Goulson, “should we boycott palm oil? There is no clear answer, so I can only tell you my decision. If palm oil were a healthy ingredient used in nutritious foods, I might reluctantly recommend that we consume it, choosing products certified by RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) and pushing RSPO standards to be improved to prevent further deforestation. In reality, palm oil offers little nutrition beyond raw calories, is probably bday for our hearts, and is largely only available in ultra-processed foods that are almost universally awful for our health…. I for one will not consume the oil.” (P108 Eat the Planet Well)

*Butter contains about 70% saturated fatty acids.

NB vegan butters tend to contain either palm or coconut oil to gain their semi solid consistency. For more information visit https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/is-vegan-butter-healthy

Counting on … day 113

27th  October 2026

Is organic food healthier?

One view is that being free of pesticides etc organic food is healthier; it is also felt that such food may also be fresher (less dependent on chemical sprays to prolong its shelf-life), to be more nutritious, containing more antioxidants and being free of GM ingredients. Another plus view is that organic farming ensures better animal welfare and better welfare for the environment.

On the other hand organic food can be seen as expensive and overhyped.

Either way organic food has to be produced in accordance with a strict set of regulations that encompass how the soil is farmed and how livestock are raised and their access to open air and grazing.

Goulson reviews various research projects that aim to quantify the benefits or not of organic food. Two areas where there does seem to be clear evidence is that organically reared cows,  wing fed more on grass, hay and silage, produce milk and meat that is higher in omega-3 fatty acids. The other clear benefit of organically raised livestock is that they are not routinely treated with antibiotics as a prophylactic meaning that less of these antibiotics in the environment and therefore less of a build up of antibiotic resistance.

He concludes “Overall, it is clear that those who eat organic food as part of various positive lifestyle choices will be exposed to fewer pesticides, consume more antioxidants and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and they and their children will be less likely to develop various ailments, from eczema to lymphoma. They can also feel relieved to know they are not funding the cruel industry of intensive animal husbandry and its associated ills, including the spread of MRSA. It seems like a no-brained to me: so far as you can afford it, eat organic.” (P90 Eat the Planet Well)

It strikes me that governments intent of benefiting their citizens – and reducing health costs – should be proactively encouraging organic food production AND ensuring that everyone can afford a healthy diet.

As regards GM crops, which Goulson also covers, he concludes “If the development of GM crops were funded by charitable bodies of governments with the goal of growing food more sustainably, their safety was carefully evaluated on a case-by-case basis, the seeds were given to farmers for free, and farmers were allowed to gather their own seed for future use, then I think GM technology has a place. When used to lock farmers into an intensive, high-in out farming system, it can be actively harmful. The value of GM technology depends on who is wielding it and where their motivation lies.” (P99 Eat the Planet Well)

Counting on … day 112

26th  October 2026

Poisoning ourselves

“In Europe, about 500 different pesticides are licensed for use on our crops, with almost twice as many available in the US. These are all poisons, intended to kill insects (insecticides), weeds (herbicides), fungi (fungicides), or slugs and snails (molluscides). Some are naturally occurring compounds extracted from plants, and a few are simple inorganic compounds such as copper salts. Most, however, are complex organic compounds synthesised in a lab – chemical structures that never previously existed. They vary hugely in how much of them is used, how and when they are sprayed, and their chemical and physical properties, all of which affects the likelihood of them ending up in the food on your fork. They also vary greatly on how harmful they might be to us as humans.” (P74 Eat the Planet Well)

Goulson notes that many chemicals band in Europe still enter our food supplies via imported produce. Worryingly he also points out the difficulty of determining the impact of a combination of pesticides etc on our health – for few crops receive only one dose and more typically a raft of different chemicals will be used at different stage of the the growth of the crop, in,causing just before and after harvesting.

Equally the impact of these chemicals on our health may vary depending on how long we are exposed to them and whether the residues accumulate in our bodies.

He concludes “All things considered, it would seem wise to avoid consuming pesticides and feeding the, to our children so far as possible. This can be challenging, as most of the cheap and readily available food in supermarkets and fast-food outlets comes from intensive farming and is likely to be contaminated one way or another. Avoiding pesticides is inconvenient, and sometimes more expensive, but it is not impossible. The most obvious strategy is to buy organic, which we will explore next.” (P83 Eat the Planet Well)

Proper 25, last Sunday after Trinity

25th October 2026

Reflection with readings below

The theme of today’s readings is God’s command that we love our neighbour. In the passage from Leviticus this is further elucidated. To love one’s neighbour is to show them justice, not to bad-mouth or scape-goat them – and certainly not to kill them. To love one’s neighbour is not hate them, nor bear a grudge nor exact vengeance on them. But to love one’s neighbour is to point out when they are doing the wrong thing, lest you and they suffer. I would suggest this requires tact, empathy and honesty – are you sure that you understand what the wrong is and what is the cause? And finally that we should love our neighbour as ourself.

Indeed the words of the Psalmist reminds us that God’s wisdom is designed for our wellbeing and happiness, and that by follow the commands of God, we will grow and flourish like a tree by a stream.

Today’s gospel is a familiar one. Jesus is being interrogated by the religious authorities: what is the true meaning of the Law? What is the greatest commandment? And Jesus boils it down to two – to love God wholeheartedly, and to love your neighbour as yourself. This answer points to the interconnectedness of the relationships between God, the individual and the community. Our faith is not a purely individualistic relationship between God and me. It is a three way relationship that has to involve not just God and me but the rest of creation. This can feel challenging if not impossible.  There is so much in the world that is not good, that is not caring and loving. Sometimes it is hard to know where or how to be loving.

This week, the government approved the license for the Jackdaw gas field on the basis that it would ensure the security at least 6% of our gas needs because it would be coming direct from the North Sea to our homes, because it would ensure jobs in Aberdeen, and because we would benefit from the taxes on the gas company’s profits. But on the other hand, the gas burned will release those very carbon emissions that are fuelling the climate crisis, that are causing the extreme weather events such as the glacial landslide in Nepal, this summer’s European wide drought and heat waves, and this weekend’s storms battering the UK. These extreme weather events have diminished harvests and increased food prices. The rising cost of oil and gas are equally impacting the cost of living for so many people – especially those who cannot afford home insulation, double glazing, electric vehicles and heat pumps. These extreme weather events are also contributing to the decline in biodiversity as birds, fish, plants and animals struggle to cope.

Who then is the neighbour we are commanded to love? It can be both our next door neighbour and the wild birds visiting our garden. It can be both the oil rig worker in the North Sea and the Pacific Islander. It can be both the farmer in East Anglia and the cocoa farmer in Ghanaian.

On the other hand my neighbour is also the bee that pollinates the fruit tree so that I can enjoy a juicy apple. It is the plane tree that cleans the air I breathe. It is the train driver who ensures I have a train to get me home, and the farmer who grows the potatoes I eat for supper.

I think I come back to networks and community. To love my neighbour is to make those choices that contribute to a world in which everyone thrives, a world in which the common good overrides profit, a world in which we can are all be grateful for what we receive. Envisaging what that world looks like, how it would function and what would be prioritised, will help us work out how best we can act in loving God and in loving our neighbour. This envisaging is not something we can do alone: it needs to be done as communities and with wisdom that comes from paying attention to God. We need to talk with and listen to each other, with family and friends, in churches, in communities, within companies and industries, local authorities, nations and internationally. One such forum would be citizens assemblies; another would be AGMs.

Leviticus 19:1-2,15-18

Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbour. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbour: I am the Lord.

You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbour, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the Lord.

Psalm 1

1 Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, *
nor lingered in the way of sinners,
nor sat in the seats of the scornful!

2 Their delight is in the law of the Lord, *
and they meditate on his law day and night.

3 They are like trees planted by streams of water,
bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; *
everything they do shall prosper.

4 It is not so with the wicked; *
they are like chaff which the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes, *
nor the sinner in the council of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, *
but the way of the wicked is doomed.

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.

Matthew 22:34-46

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,

‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’?

If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Walking in the dark

October 2026

The balance of the days shifts as the nights lengthen, the clocks change and we tip over  into a time of winter and darkness.

What might the dark say to us about God?

If God is the creator of all that exists, and if there is nothing created that does not exist in God, we surely find God’s creative genius in the dark?

And if so, will we not find that the dark can be a positive space?

Yet often we see the dark as something dangerous and forbidding, something to be avoided. We often link darkness with our fears and failures. But if the dark is also where God is, could we use the dark to deepen our relationship with God?

Dark allows us to see things we would not otherwise see – the moon and the stars, the blooms of night time flowering plants, numerous nocturnal creatures including bats and moths. Dark is the natural habitat of many creatures. Dark is restful, enabling sleep. Dark allows seeds to germinate and sprout. Dark allows things to mature, including both wine and cheeses. Dark enhances our perception of our senses. We seem to hear better, to experience smell and taste differently; we may even see more consciously in the dark.

Psalm 139:12 says “even the darkness will not be dark to you, the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”

Let us then embrace the dark and find enrichment in this season.

Darkness

your grand circle engulfs

all the small bright circles

of the world. None

can withstand you:

meteors trailing their lights

through space, this slim

candle on a shelf.

All selves

belong to you, began

in you. You place

a hand on my shoulder, shift

hand to wrist, feel my pulse.

Your gentleness moves

me to belief: in

darkness.

Alan Payne, after Rilke

The Other

There are nights that are so still

that I can hear the small owl calling

far off and a fox barking

miles away. It is then that I lie

in the lean hours awake listening

to the swell born somewhere in the Atlantic

rising and falling, rising and falling

wave on wave on the long shore

by the village that is without light

and companionless. And the

thought comes of that other being who is

awake, too,

letting our prayers break on him,

not like this for a few hours,

but for days, years, for eternity.

R S Thomas

The Peace of the Wild Things

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

To know the dark

To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.

To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,

and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,

and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.

Both by Wendell Berry

Prayers of desperation

24th October 2026

They have turned back to the iniquities of their ancestors of old, who refused to heed my words; they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant that I made with their ancestors. Jeremiah 11:10

You Lord, are the source of all good things:

We praise you.

You call us to tend and care for your creation:

May we strive to do your will.

You have made us as brothers and sisters with all that lives:

May we live together in peace.

A reading from 1 Kings 19:9b-10

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’

How long O Lord, how long?

Temperatures are rising, the climate is changing.

The scientists tell us why, and the meteorologist forecast danger –

But politicians close their ears and oil giants close their eyes.

None will turn and repent.

How long O Lord, how long?

Temperatures are rising, the climate is changing.

Harvests fail and farmers struggle –

rising costs of fertiliser whilst drought diminishes yield.

But politicians close their ears and supermarkets close their eyes.

None will turn and repent.

How long O Lord, how long?

Temperatures are rising, the climate is changing.

The Earth struggles and planetary boundaries are strained –

deforestation and biodiversity loss accelerate.

But politicians close their ears and we consumers close our eyes.

None will turn and repent.

How long O Lord, how long?

Temperatures are rising, the climate changing.

The poor struggle as bills rise and pay looses its value.

The vulnerable are overwhelmed and support dwindles.

But politicians close their ears and big tech companies close their eyes.

None will turn and repent.

How long O Lord, how long?

O Lord,

in a world where change for the better seems impossible,

where protest is silenced and justice is denied,

how do we find the courage and energy to continue?

O Lord,

in a world where change for the better seems impossible,

where our cries are blanked, our concerns ignored,

how do we find the opportunities to speak truth to power,

the means to provide healing and care?

Ever loving and merciful God,

enfold us in your love,

fill us with your Spirit,

and surround us with companions.

Help us to hear your words of wisdom,

to see your path of salvation,

and to know Jesus as our constant guide.

Amen.

Counting on … day 111

23rd October 2026

Poisoning our planet

In this chapter Goulson reflects on the impacts of pesticides – including herbicides, fungicides etc – on the environment. These do not just target the pest the farmer has in mind but anything and everything else they come into contact with, both directly and via the food chain. Based on the work of extensive research, Goulson tells us that the conclusion is that ‘applying about 4 million tonnes of over 1000 different pesticides to our planet every year … is poisoning everything.’ (P68 Eat the Planet Well)

One example he quotes is research that explores how fipronil and imidiacloprid which are banned for use on crops but is used in flea treatments for cats and dogs, passes via pet hairs used to build nests into the chicks of bluetits and other small birds leading to death and deformities.

Goulson also draws our attention to a yet other consequences of pesticide use. When pesticides are used to kill weeds in arable fields there success has the unintended consequence of removing the essential food supply for moths, butterflies, their caterpillars etc, diminishing their numbers and the biodiversity dependant upon them.

Counting on … day 110

22nd October 2026

The Impact of fertilisers

Having explored agriculture in terms of carbon, land-use and water, Goulson next turns to fertilisers and pesticides and their effect on our food and our environment. Fertilisers are used to improve crop yields by improving nutrient levels in the soil. Wood ash, guano and other manures, blood, ground up bones, etc have been used to increase levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the soil. Organic farming uses techniques such as growing nitrogen fixing crops – clovers, beans  and peas –  well as adding animal manure, plant compost and sea weed, and ploughing in sacrificial green cover crops.

Non-organic farms now use primarily synthetic fertilisers made from fossil fuels (which is why the price of fertilisers is currently rising as fuel prices rise because of the conflict in the Middle East).

Synthetic fertilisers have certainly contributed to a significant rise in crop yields but they have also caused pollution. In their production and use they release substantial greenhouse gases. They cause poisonous algal blooms as they leach into water ways, killing of aquatic plants and creatures. These consequences of fertiliser use are known as eutrophying emissions.

As with other issues, some foods are more reliant on fertilisers than others. When it comes to meat and animal products – which again are at the top end of the table – much of that fertiliser is uses to produce animal fodder).